UAE-India travel: Air India Express issues COVID-19 guidelines

Mumbai: Air India Express on Tuesday issued guidelines for the maintenance of Covid-appropriate behaviour by travellers travelling from UAE to India.

The recommendation advises that all visitors should preferably be completely immunized as per the approved primary schedule of vaccination against COVID-19 in their country. Other precautions to take when travelling include the use of masks and physical distancing.

“All guests should preferably be fully vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule of vaccination against COVID-19 in their country. All guests should preferably use masks and follow physical distancing on flights/travel and at all points of entry,” the official Twitter handle of Air India Express tweeted.

The Air India Express, headquartered in Kochi, Kerala is notably, India’s first international budget carrier, offering connectivity to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. It is run by Air India Express Limited, a fully-owned division of Air India, the national carrier of India.

However, the guidelines stated that Post-arrival random testing is not required for children under the age of 12.

The children are only required to undergo testing and get treatment in accordance with the protocol if they are discovered to be symptomatic for COVID-19 upon arrival or during the time of self-monitoring.

“Children under 12 years of age are exempted from post-arrival random testing. However, if found symptomatic for COVID-19 on arrival or during the period of self-monitoring, they shall undergo testing and be treated as per the protocol,” the advisory by Air India Express read.

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Thursday said that at least two per cent of the arriving passengers on international flights to the country will have to undergo random sampling as part of a precautionary measure for COVID-19.

The MoCA in an official statement said that the passengers are to be identified by the airline and will be allowed to leave the airport after sample collection. Those being tested positive for the infection will be isolated and their samples will be sent for genome sequencing.

“This arrangement should come into practice with effect from 10:00 am on December 24,” as per the statement from MoCA.

Last week Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Lok Sabha said that the government has started random RT-PCR sampling among the passengers arriving at International airports in the country amid the recent surge of Coronavirus infection in various countries including China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United States.